Winter weather hits the MOV

PARKERSBURG – Although the calendar has the date in the spring, no one told Mother Nature as freezing temperatures and snow began on Sunday.

“Snow with rain is expected to continue through Tuesday afternoon when the precipitation is expected to clear out, but cold is expected to stay for a while,” Joe Merchant, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston, said Sunday.

A strong low pressure system pushed into the Mid-Ohio Valley and central Appalachian region, which brought the accumulating snow and sleet as it moves through the area.

Snow began to fall early Sunday afternoon and was expected to leave between one and two inches of total accumulation by this morning, with another inch of snow possible into this evening.

“On the back side of the system, we could see another two inches into Tuesday morning,” Merchant said. “This does not mean there will be four to six inches of snow on the ground Tuesday evening because there will be melting between the snow accumulations.”

On Sunday afternoon, the NWS issued a winter weather advisory for snow, which is in effect through 8 a.m. Tuesday.

According to the NWS website (erh.noaa.gov), the advisory means that periods of snow will primarily cause travel difficulties. Drivers need to be prepared for snow-covered roads with limited visibility and are asked to use caution while driving.

No weather-related calls had been made to the Wood County 911 Center as of 7 p.m. Sunday.

As for the temperatures, it expected to stay well below the normal average temperature of the 50s for the next week, Merchant said.

“After the moisture moves out of the area on Tuesday, the cold will stay,” he said. “There are hints of nice days ahead, but we won’t get that anytime soon.”

Merchant said next weekend is expected to bring highs in the low to mid 50s, which is seasonal, but nothing like the 70s and low 80s the Mid-Ohio Valley experienced at this time last year.

“These cold snaps certainly do happen, but I think the overall cold pattern is a bit unusual for this time of the year,” Merchant said. “The extended period of colder than usual temperatures in the day and night is especially different from the norm.”